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T/ie   Channel  Islands   and 
their  Agriculture, 


nEKRY  H.  GOODELL,  LL.D., 

OF  Amherst,  Mass. 


'^^^^^^^mmsmmw^^mm^^^m^^^^m^^^^^^^m^^m^^m 


Digitized  by  tine  Internet  Arciiive 

in  2007  witii  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


http://www.arcliive.org/details/channelislandsthOOgoodiala 


The   Channel  Islands   and 
their  Agriculture, 


HEI^RY  H.  GOODELL,  LKD., 

.  OF  Amherst,  Mass. 


THE  CHANNEL  ISLANDS  AND  THEIR  AGRICULTURE. 


BT  HENBT  H.  GOODELL,  LL.D.,  AMHEBST. 


The  subject  assigned  me  to-night  is  the  Channel  Islands 
and  their  agriculture.  There  is  no  more  interesting  spot  on 
the  face  of  the  globe,  and  none  that  displays  sharper  con- 
trasts. Geographically  belonging  to  France,  territorially 
they  form  an  outlying  dependency  of  the  British  c\*own. 
Apparently  most  barren  and  unfertile  of  soil,  they  yield 
crops  rivalling  in  richness  those  of  the  virgin  plains  of  our 
own  great  West.  Rent  and  torn  by  the  waves  that  rush  in 
upon  them  from  the  Atlantic,  lashed  by  the  refluent  surge 
from  the  coast  of  France,  and  swept  by  the  boiling  tides  that 
under  favoring  circumstances  rise  to  a  height  of  over  forty 
feet,  they  find  in  the  floating  sea  wrack  of  the  very  waves 
which  threaten  their  existence  the  chief  element  of  their  fer- 
tility. Lying  at  the  very  entrance  of  the  English  Channel, 
just  where  it  broadens  out  and  loses  itself  in  the  immensity 
of  the  ocean,  and  exposed  to  every  wind  that  blows,  they  yet 
enjoy  a  climate  so  equable  and  mild  that  the  flowers  of  the 
tropics  bloom  there  the  year  round  in  the  open  air. 

No  less  remarkable  in  their  characteristics  are  the  people. 
Calling  themselves  Englishmen,  they  yet  speak  a  patois  of 
French  impossible  to  be  understood  by  any  one  not  native 
born,  and  compel  its  use  in  school  and  court.  Blindly 
adherent  to  ancient  law  and  custom,  they  have  made  them- 
selves known  the  world  over  for  the  advanced  position  they 
have  taken  on  all  matters  pertaining  to  agriculture.  Jeal- 
ously resisting  every  encroachment  upon  their  liberties,  and 
so  independent  that  all  laws  affecting  them  have  first  to  be 
passed  upon  and  approved  by  their  own  States  before  becom- 
ing valid,  they  yet  are  the  most  loyal  of  subjects  and  tena- 
cious in  their  support  of  the  crown.     The  last  of  the  great 


G/C 


French  possessions  united  to  England  when  William  the 
Conqueror  crossed  the  Channel  and  overthrew  the  Saxon 
dynasty,  they  have  remained  through  all  these  years 
unshaken  in  their  fidelity  to  the  representatives  of  their 
hereditary  sovereigns.  Race,  language,  contiguity  of  terri- 
tory, would  seem  to  have  allied  them  to  Norman  France ; 
yet  so  slight  was  the  bond  that  held  them,  that  shortly  after 
the  separation  we  find  this  added  petition  in  their  litany : 
"From  the  fury  of  the  Norman,  good  Lord  deliver  us." 
Undoubtedly  in  bygone  ages,  before  subsidence  had  taken 
place,  these  islands  formed  a  part  of  the  continent,  and  were 
actually  joined  to  France  ;  but  now  they  stand  like  sentinels, 
lone  outposts,  surrounded  by  rushing  tides  and  raging  seas, 
which  in  their  ceaseless  action  have  eaten  out  and  swept 
away.the  softer  and  more  friable  rocks,  leaving  only  a  '*  fret- 
work of  those  harder  barriers  that  still  resist  attack,  and  are 
enabled  to  present  a  bold  and  serried  front  against  their 
relentless  enemy." 

The  Channel  Islands  are  six  in  number,  namely,  Jersey, 
Guernsey,  Alderney,  Sark,  Jethou  and  Herm,  and  lie  one 
hundred  miles  south  of  England  and  fifteen  from  the  shores 
of  France,  being  well  within  a  line  drawn  parallel  to  the 
coast,  from  the  end  of  the  peninsula  on  which  Cherbourg  is 
built.  The  two  largest  of  these  —  Jersey  and  Guernsey  — 
are  the  ones  with  which  we  shall  concern  ourselves  to-night. 
Small  in  area,  mere  dots  on  the  surface  of  the  globe,  they 
yet  have  won  for  themselves  a  name  and  place  in  the  agri- 
culture of  every  civilized  nation  of  the  world.  The  first, 
some  eleven  miles  in  length  by  five  and  a  half  in  breadth, 
covers  an  area  of  28,717  acres;  the  second,  nine  and  a  half 
miles  in  length  by  six  and  a  half  in  breadth,  contains  about 
19,705  acres.  Of  these  areas  scarce  two-thirds  is  land  that 
can  be  cultivated,  for  we  must  bear  in  mind  that  the  forma- 
tion is  mostly  granite,  rising  in  cliffs  from  two  hundred  to 
four  hundred  feet,  with  deep  indentations  and  wide  encir- 
cling bays  where  the  sea  has  eaten  into  the  shore.  From 
the  elevated  crest  to  the  water's  edge  is  a  "wide  margin  of 
descent,  upon  which  fertile  soil  cannot  accumulate,  and  a 
poor  and  scanty  pasturage,  its  only  possible  produce,  is  gen- 
erally more  or  less  overpowered  by  brake,  gorse  and  heath." 


As  you  approach  the  Jersey  coast  nothing  more  picturesque 
can  be  well  imagined.  Ten  miles  of  granite  clift'  stretching 
along  its  northern  exposure  two  hundred  and  forty  to  four 
hundred  and  eighty-five  feet  in  height,  while  on  the  south 
eight  miles  of  similar  formation  rise  from  two  hundred  to 
two  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  and  against  tliis  the  waters  madly 
foam  and  break  and  dash  tlieir  spray  far  u\)  the  sides,  rend- 
ing and  rifting  them  in  every  possible  manner,  or  wearing 
out  dark  chasms  and  overhanging  arches.  There  results 
from  this  formation  a  general  slope  and  exposure  to  the 
south  very  favorable  to  vegetation.  Furthermore,  the  whole 
island  is  intersected  from  north  to  south  by  a  succession  of 
ravines  or  valleys,  gradually  widening  and  increasing  in 
depth,  and  forming  a  natural  channel  for  the  small  streams 
taking  their  origin  in  the  springs  which  everywhere  abound. 
It  has  been  said  that  the  three  primary  elements  necessary 
to  the  success  of  agricultural  operations  are  skilful  hus- 
bandry, a  well-constituted  soil  and  a  genial  climate.  All 
three  of  these  requisites  Jersey  possesses  in  the  highest 
degree.  Though  resting  on  a  bed  of  primary  rocks  of  gran- 
ite, syenite  and  schist  absolutely  wanting  in  organic  remains, 
yet  the  soil  is  a  rich  loam,  varying  in  lightness  with  the  char- 
acter of  the  underlying  stratum.  Even  in  the  bays,  where 
the  sand  driven  by  the  winds  has  encroached  upon  the  soil, 
the  land  is  so  successfully  tilled,  that  St.  Clements  Bay  has 
won  for  itself  the  title  of  the  "Garden  of  Jersey."  The  cli- 
mate is  one  of  the  most  equable  and  mild  in  the  world. 
Rarely  does  it  fall  below  the  freezing  point,  and  there  is  but 
one  instance  on  record  of  its  reaching  83°.  The  ground  sel- 
dom freezes  more  than  an  inch  or  two,  and  the  slight  snows 
serve  to  keep  off  the  frost  altogether.  Winter  there  is 
none,  but  the  spring  is  usually  cool  and  late.  The  mean 
daily  range  of  the  thermometer  is  exceptionally  small.  Tak- 
ing the  average  of  ten  years,  it  is  found  to  be  but  8.1°. 
The  days  of  summer  are  not  very  hot,  but  the  nights  are 
comparatively  warm,  and  there  is  hardly  any  chill  in  the 
night  air  at  any  season  of  the  year.  There  is  no  recorded 
climate,  and  probably  no  climate  whatever  in  north  temper- 
ate latitudes,  on  either  side  of  the  Atlantic,  that  presents  so 
small  a  daily  range  of  the  thermometer.  Such  is  the  opinion 
of  an  enthusiastic  traveller. 


6 


Mean  Daily  Range  of  Each  Month  from  an  Average  oj  Ten  Years. 


Jan.      Feb.      Mar.      April      May     June      July     Aug.      Sept.      Oct.      Nov.      Dec. 


Mean  Temperature  of  Six  Years  at  Jersey  during  Each  Month  of 

the  Year. 


fiS* 

i 

60° 
55* 
30* 
45* 
40* 

— . 

V 

/ 

\ 

\ 

/ 

\ 

/ 

\ 

\ 

^ 

\  ^ 

/ 

\ 

\ 

55* 

Jan.      Feb.      Mar.      April     May     June      July     Aug.     Sept.      Oct.      Nov. 


Dec. 


As  a  result  of  this,  many  kinds  of  plants  and  flowering 
l)lants  and  shrubs  are  at  least  a  fortnight  earlier  than  even 
in  the  warmer  parts  of  England,  and  the  ripening  of  fruit  in 
the  open  air  during  July,  August  and  September  is  invari- 
ably some  days  earlier  than  at  Greenwich,  although  the 
summer  is  cooler  than  at  that  place.     Another  striking  pecu- 


liarity  which  doubtless  has  its  effect  upon  vegetation  is  the 
rainfall.     Taking  the  avei^age  of  six  years,  rain  is  found  to 
fall  on  one  hundred  and  tifty  days,  but  it  most  frequently 
occurs   at   night   or   early    in  the  morning,  seldom  lasting 
through  the  day,  thereby  securing  the  maxinmm  of  sunshine. 
The  mean  annual  rainfall  is  about  thirty- three  inches.    Under 
these  favorable  conditions  of  temperature  and   moisture  a 
rtora  that  is  almost  tropical  prevails.     Fuchsias  reaching  the 
proportions  of  shrubs,  rhododendrons  twenty  to  twenty-five 
feet   in  height,   araucarias,  or  monke}'  trees,   as  they  are 
popularly  designated,  oleanders,  yuccas,  i)alms,  azaleas  and 
camellias   flourish  in  the   open  air,  while   climate  and  soil 
appear  to  be  particularly  suitable  for  the  cultivation  of  the 
dahlia.     Finer  specimens  I  have  never  seen.     The  lauresti- 
nus  was  in  bloom  in  November,  and  fig  trees  and  oranges 
were  everywhere  to  be  seen  trained  against  the  south  walls 
of  enclosures.     It  is  a  climatic  law  that  in  all  i)laccs  where 
the  mean  temperature  is  below  62. G°,  the  revival  of  nature 
in  spring  takes  [)lace  in  that  month  of  which  the  mean  tem- 
perature reaches  42.8°.     On  the  island  of  Jersey  this  oc- 
curs in  February.     This  again  is  a  very  important  factor  in 
the  agricultural   development   of  the    place,    for  the  early 
spring  and  the  proximity  of  the  great  markets  of  London 
and  Paris  enable  the  inhabitants  to  dis|)ose  of  their  produce 
at  a  great  profit.     It  is  no  uncommon  thing  for  a  man  to 
pay  for  a  piece  of  potato  land  as  high  a  rental  as  two  to 
three  hundred  dollars  an  acre,  and  sell  his  crop  of  four  or 
five  hundred  bushels  for  $1,000  or  $1,100.     But  tjiis  is  not 
the  end;  for  immediately  after  the  gathering  of  the  first  crop 
the  land  is  freshly  manured  and  a  second  crop  is  planted, 
yielding  from  two-thirds  to  three-fourths  the  amount  of  the 
first.     These  results  can  only  be  secured  by  the  application 
of  large  quantities  of  manure.     Barn-yard  manure  and  also 
artificial  fertilizers  are  used ;    but  the  main  dependence  is 
l)laced  upon  the  vraic  or  sea- weed.     The  old  legend  runs : 
"No   vraic,   no   corn;    no   corn,    no   cows;    no    cows,    no 
bread  for  children's  mouths."     This  is  either  washed  ashore 
by  the  action  of  the  waves,  or,  at  the  period  of  maturity,  is 
separated  by  bill  hooks  or  sickles  fiistened  on  to  long  poles 
and  drawn  in  by  rakes  with  a  head  two  or  three  feet  wide 


8 


and  handles  twelve  to  twenty  feet  long.  The  cutting  and 
gatherino;  of  the  vraic  is  a  general  holiday,  terminating 
usually  in  a  frolic.  It  is  only  allowed  twice  a  year  :  once  in 
February,  beginning  with  the  first  new  or  full  moon  and 
lasting  five  weeks ;  and  again  in  June,  beginning  in  the 
middle  of  the  month  and  closing  on  the  31st  of  August. 
Whole  families  will  frequently  unite,  and,  going  to  some 
spot  previously  selected,  work  hard  all  day,  the  men  stand- 
ing up  to  their  waists  in  water,  using  their  unwieldy  sickles 
and  rakes,  and  the  women  and  children  dragging  the  prize 
up  beyond  the  reach  of  the  tide.  With  the  coming  of  night 
the  sea-weed  is  removed  in  carts,  and  then  all  hands,  meeting 
at  the  house  of  some  one  of  their  number,  spend  the  hours 
in  dancing  and  singing.  During  the  tirst  four  weeks  of  the 
summer  cutting,  only  the  poor,  or  those  having  no  cattle, 
are  allowed  to  gather  this  harvest  of  the  sea.  That  cast  lip 
by  the  waves  may  be  taken  at  all  seasons  by  any  person 
between  the  hours  of  sunrise  and  eight  o'clock  at  night. 
About  sixty  thousand  loads  are  gathered  annually,  valued 
for  manurial  purposes  at  al)out  fifty  cents  per  load.  It  is 
applied  either  fresh  at  the  rate  of  ten  loads  to  the  acre,  or 
in  the  form  of  ashes  obtained  by  burning  it,  a  load  yielding 
about  three  bushels  of  ash.  There  are  two  species  of  this 
vraic,  the  Fucus  and  the  Laminaria,  and  the  following  analy- 
ses will  give  an  idea  of  their  value  :  — 

Analyses  of  Vraic. 


Lnminaria 
disitata. 

(I'erCent.) 


Fucus 
vcaiculosus. 

(Percent.) 


Water  in  the  undried  weed,  , 

Dry  Weed. 
Organic  matter,  per  cent. 
Soluble  ash,   .        .        .        , 
Insoluble  ash, 


Composition  of  Soluble  Ash. 
Sulphuric  acid,       .... 
Chlorides  of  potash  and  sodium,  . 

Potash, 

Iodine, 


82.00 


70.11 

23.66 

6.33 

100.00 

2.13 

21.63 

6.89 

0.48 


71.00 


80.36 

14.08 

5.66 

100.00 

4.17 

11.40 

2.04 

0.01 


The  drift  weed  belongs  to  the  Laminaria,  of  which  there 
are  two  varieties,  and  the  cut  weed  to  the  Fucus,  of  which 
there  are  three.  The  hitter  is  considered  the  more  valuable, 
perhaps  from  its  containing  a  larger  per  cent  of  organic 
matter. 

The  population  of  Jersey,  according  to  the  last  census,  is 
a  little  over  ()5,000.  The  area  of  the  island  is  as  already 
stated, — 28,717  acres.  Of  this,  only  19,514  are  under 
cultivation,  so  that  practically  three  persons  are  supported 
to  each  acre.  It  may  not  be  uninteresting  to  note  the 
acreage  of  the  different  crops,  and  compare  it  with  the 
amount  of  produce  exported.  In  1891,  the  corn  crops 
(wheat,  barley,  oats,  rye,  beans  and  peas)  occui)ied  2,199 
acres,  wheat  leading  with  1,700;  green  crops,  including 
potatoes,  turnips,  mangolds,  cabbages  and  .vetches,  were 
7,81(i,  potatoes  leading  with  7,000;  clover  and  grasses 
under  rotation,  5,247;  permanent  pasture,  4,053;  flax,  3; 
small  fruits,  158;  and  uncropped  arable  land,  38.  Horses 
numbered  2,360;  cattle,  12,073;  sheep,  305;  and  pigs, 
7,0 IS.  In  that  same  year  there  was  exported  into  England 
alone,  2,300  cows  and  calves,  or  a  little  over  one-sixth  the 
entire  number;  25  tons  of  butter;  1,863,165  bushels  of 
j)otatoes,  an  average  of  266  bushels  to  every  acre  under  cul- 
tivation;  86,000  dozen  eggs;  74,969  bushels  of  fruit  and 
vegetables,  to  the  value  of  $400,000  ;  the  whole  footing  up 
to  the  snug  little  income  of  $3,700,000,  to  l)e  distributed 
among  the  2,600  farmers  owniuir  or  cultivatinjjf  land.  It  is 
a  noticeable  fact  that,  while  the  cattle  were  valued  at 
£40,000,  the  potatoes  were  placed  at  £447,134,  or  eleven 
times  that  sum.  The  flgures  above  given  are  equally  aj)pli- 
cable  to  (luernsey,  except  that  there  a  greater  amount  of 
fruit  is  groNvn,  the  yearly  exj)ort  of  graj)es  footing  up  to  over 
500  tons.  Tomatoes  are  mised  in  innnense  (juantities  for 
the  London  market,  but  no  reliable  statistics  were  available. 
As  compared  with  our  best  varieties,  they  are  very  inferior 
in  size  and  (juality.  The  vines  are  trained  up  against  the 
sides  of  the  house,  and  continue  bearing  sometimes  more 
than  one  year.  The  principal  fruits  are  grapes,  apples  and 
pears.  Jersey  cider  was  at  one  time  so  celebrated  that  the 
agricultural  society  of  the  department  of  the  lower  Seine  in 


10 

France  sent  over  a  commission  to  learn  the  methods  of  its 
manufacture  ;  but  the  apple  trees  are  now  giving  way  to  the 
potato,  tliough  still  30,000  to  40,000  bushels  of  the  fruit 
are  exported  annually.  Climate  and  soil  seem  especially 
adapted  to  the  cultivation  of  j)ears,  of  which  there  are  some 
fifty  varieties  grown,  bergamottes^  doyennes,  beu)Tes,  etc. 
But  the  most  remarkable  are  the  chauniontel,  whose  fruit 
frequently  reaches  proportions  that  are  truly  wonderful. 
For  fear  you  should  tliink  I  am  drawing  on  my  imagination, 
permit  me  to  quote  from  official  records  :  — 

"  These  pears  are  usually  plucked  about  the  lOth  of  Octo- 
ber, but  arc  not  lit  for  use  for  several  weeks,  lieing  in  per- 
fection about  Christmas.  Those  weijjrhinjj  sixteen  ounces 
are  regarded  as  first  rate,  and  fetch  good  prices.  Pears  of 
this  size  average  in  value  twenty-five  to  thirty  dollars  per 
hundred  in  the  island  markets ;  but  as  they  diminish  in  size 
and  weight  the  value  falls  rapidly,  the  numerous  small  fruit 
being  considered  only  fit  for  baking,  although  in  point  of 
flavor  they  are  little  inferior.  The  largest  and  best  gi-own 
fruit  on  record  was  raised  at  Laporte  in  Guernsey  in  1849. 
It  measured  six  and  one-half  inches  in  length,  fourteen  and 
one-half  in  girth,  and  weighed  thirty-eight  ounces.  As  a 
group  of  pears  from  a  single  tree,  there  is  perhaps  no  more 
remarkable  instance  recorded  than  one  occurring  in  the  sea- 
son of  1861,  when,  of  five  fruit  obtained  from  one  tree  in 
the  garden  of  Mr.  Marquand  of  Bailifl''s  Cross,  Guernsey, 
four  of  them  weighed  together  seven  and  one-half  pounds. 
It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  in  this  case  the  tree,  though 
usually  prolific,  bore  only  these  five  fruit.  The  pears  in 
question  weighed  respectively  thirty-two  and  one-half,  thirty- 
three,  thirty-one  and  one-half  and  twenty-two  ounces." 

Equally  remarkable  among  the  vegetables  are  the  great 
cow  cabbages.  They  reach  a  height  of  eight  to  ten  feet.  I 
myself  measured  one  that  was  over  eleven,  and  at  the  agri- 
cultural rooms  at  St.  Helier  there  is  preserved  the  record 
of  one  whose  stalk  measured  sixteen.  It  takes  a  year  for 
these  plants  to  mature.  They  are  set  in  November  or 
December,  about  two  feet  apart,  and  grow  all  through  the 
following  season.  The  ground  is  hoed  up  against  them  when 
they  have  reached  a  certain  height,  having  been  previously 


I 


I 


11 

enriched  with  sea- weed.  The  leaves  are  stripped  off  as 
they  become  large,  being  used  either  for  feeding  cattle  or 
packing  butter,  and  the  plants  are  left  to  spindle  up  with  a 
small  crown  at  the  top.  The  stalks,  which  occasionally  take 
on  tree-like  dimensions,  are  used  as  palisades  for  fences  or 
poles  for  beans,  but  most  frecjuently  they  are  shellacked  over 
or  varnished  and  made  into  canes,  selling  readily  to  tourists 
at  prices  ranging  from  fifty  cents  to  a  coui)le  of  dollars. 

From  what  has  been  said  it  will  be  readily  conjectured 
that  the  potato  is  the  chief  croji.  The  greatest  care  is  taken 
in  the  selection  of  seed,  and  they  are  handled  as  tenderly  as 
the  choicest  fi'uit,  each  tuber  being  picked  up  separately  and 
l)laced  in  an  open  crate,  only  one  layer  deep.  In  some 
sheltered  spot  or  in  a  shed  these  crates  are  piled  up  one 
above  the  other  till  ready  for  use.  When  i)re paring  for 
planting,  these  are  placed  in  some  warm  corner  and  the 
potatoes  allowed  to  sprout,  selection  being  made  of  those 
shoots  which  have  formed  a  healthy  top  and  spring  from  a 
good  eye.  About  twenty-two  hundred- weight  of  seed  per 
acre  is  used,  being  set  about  ten  inches  apart,  and  in  rows 
some  twenty-two  or  three  inches  wide.  Cultivated  in  the 
open  air,  they  are  ready  for  market  in  April  and  May,  but 
with  the  glass-house  system  now  in  vogue  they  are  matured 
much  earlier.  Previous  to  the  inroads  of  the  potato  disease, 
which  greatly  affected  the  crops,  it  was  no  uncommon  thing 
to  have  a  yield  of  twenty  tons  to  the  acre,  and  the  average 
was  fourteen  ;  but  it  has  now  dropjied  to  ten  or  eleven.  So 
great  is  the  demand  for  these  potatoes  that  few  are  retained 
for  home,  use,  and  large  quantities  are  imported  from  France 
into  Jersey  for  consumption ;  but,  owing  to  the  early  crop 
being  exported  at  a  very  high  price,  and  the  French  potatoes 
purchased  when  the  i)rice  is  lowest,  the  balance  of  profit 
remains  very  largely  in  favor  of  the  island. 

Some  idea  of  the  fertility  of  the  soil  may  be  formed  from 
the  following  figures  :  Hay  averages  three  and  one-half  tons 
to  the  acre  ;  a  good  return  of  one-year-old  clover  is  over  four 
tons,  of  two-year-old  not  more  than  three  and  one-quarter : 
wheat  averages  thirty-five  bushels,  though  in  some  favored 
fields  the  yield  has  reached  sixty ;  mangolds  fifty  tons,  occa- 
sionally reaching  seventy ;  parsnips  twenty-five  to  thirty : 


12 

and  carrots  thirty.  Wheat  is  sown  in  January,  and  that  is 
followed  by  parsnips  and  potatoes ;  oats  in  February  and 
mangolds  in  April.  The  rotation  of  crojis  is  a  five-year  one, 
namely,  turnips,  i)otatoes,  wheat,  hay,  hay.  The  grass  is  top- 
dressed  in  January  or  February  with  sea-weed,  and  that  is 
followed  later  in  the  season  by  an  application  of  liquid 
manure.  Everything  is  turned  to  getting  the  most  possible 
out  of  the  land ;  and  a  recent  writer,  with  just  a  touch  of 
sarcasm,  remarks  :  "Jersey  still  remiiins  a  land  of  oi)en-field 
culture,  and  yet  its  inhabitants,  who  ha))i)ily  have  not  known 
the  blessings  of  Roman  law  and  landlordism,  and  still  live 
under  the  common  law  of  Normandy,  ol)tain  from  their  land 
twice  as  nuich  as  the  best  farmers  of  England.  Besides  their 
potatoes,  they  grow  plenty  of  cereals  and  grass  for  cattle ; 
they  have  more  than  one  cow  to  each  acre  of  meadows  and 
fields  under  grass ;  they  exi)ort  every  year,  besides  a  large 
amount  of  dairy  products,  some  2,800  milch  cows ;  and,  on 
the  whole,  obtain  agricultural  produce  to  the  amount  of  $750 
to  each  acre  of  the  surface  of  the  island." 

So  much  has  been  said  and  written  of  late  years  respecting 
the  cattle  of  Jersey  that  it  would  seem  almost  unnecessary 
to  make  mention  of  them.  A  few  facts,  however,  in  regard 
to  their  management  and  care,  may  not  be  uninteresting. 
In  round  numbers,  twelve  thousand  are  scattered  over  the 
island,  but  nowhere  are  large  herds  to  be  seen.  Bunches 
of  two  or  three,  at  most  five  or  six,  are  found  on  the  ditter- 
ent  farms,  rarely  more.  This  is  easily  accounted  for  by  the 
small  holdings  of  the  farmers,  the  19,000  acres  of  arable  land 
being  distributed  among  2,600  owners.  Of  the  entire  num- 
ber, according  to  the  returns  of  1891,  6,700  were  cows  and 
heifers  in  milk  or  in  calf,  668  were  two  years  and  over,  and 
4,600  were  under  two  years.  Cows  are  considered  in  their 
prime  at  six  and  continue  good  until  ten.  After  that  they 
deteriorate  rapidly.  The  first  calf  is  usually  dropped  when 
the  animal  is  two  or  under,  and  this  has  been  oifered  aS  a 
reason  for  the  small  size  of  the  breed.  Cattle  are  allowed  to 
remain  out  from  May  to  October.  After  that  they  are 
housed  at  night,  being  driven  in  at  four  and  let  out  at  nine 
the  following  day.  They  are  fed  morning  and  evening,  their 
ration  being  the  same,  three-fourths  bushel  of  roots  and  a 


18 

little  hay,  and  are  milked  three  times  a  day  during  the  sum- 
mer. When  out  at  pasture  they  are  never  allowed  to  roam, 
but  are  close  tethered  l)y  a  rope  about  four  yards  in  length. 
Three  times  a  day  the  stake  to  which  the  tether  is  attached 
is  moved  eighteen  inches  on  a  line  parallel  to  the  side  of  the 
field.  In  this  manner  the  most  economical  use  is  made  of 
the  pasturage,  and  every  blade  of  grass  is  cro|)j)ed  ch)se. 
The  whole  care  of  the  cattle  devolves  upon  the  women,  who 
make  great  pets  of  them.  As  a  result,  they  become  singu- 
larly gentle  and  docile. 

Since  1781),  when  a  very  stringent  law  was  passed,  the 
breed  has  been  kept  absolutely  pure,  a  tine  of  one  thousand 
dollars  ])eing  imposed  for  every  head  of  foreign  cattle  intro- 
duced, besides  confiscation  of  cattle  and  boat,  the  cattle  con- 
fiscated being  killed  on  the  sjxjt,  and  the  meat  distributed  or 
sold  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor  of  the  parish  where  it  shall 
be  seized.  In  addition  to  the  al)ove  heavy  fine  imposed  on 
the  captain,  each  sailor  was  liable  to  a  fine  of  two  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars,  or  in  lieu  thereof  to  six  months'  imprison- 
ment. Up  to  1833  no  one  had  thought  of  improving  the 
breed  by  any  systepi  or  fixed  rule,  but  on  the  formation  of 
the  Royal  Jersey  Agricultural  Society,  a  scale  of  points  for 
judging  cattle  was  adopted,  premiums  were  offered  and  the 
following  regulations  laid  down  :  "Any  person  withholding 
from  the  public  the  service  of  a  })rize  bull  shall  forfeit  the 
l)remiums ;  and  all  heifers  having  had  premiums  adjudged 
them  shall  be  kept  on  the  island  until  they  have  dropped  the 
first  calf."  These  efforts  and  the  increasing  demand  for  the 
stock  have  led  to  the  improvement  of  the  breed  in  certain 
definite  directions.  TUi;  following  scale  of  points  has  been 
adopted  by  the  society  :  — 

Ratio  Scale  of  Points  for  Bulls. 

Articles.  PointK. 

1.  Registered  pedigree, 5 

2.  Head  fine  and  tapering,  forehead  broad,     ....  5 

3.  Cheek  small, 2 

4.  Throat  clean, 4 

5.  Muzzle  dark,  encircled  by  light  color,  with  nostrils  high 

and  open, 4 

6.  Horns  small,  not  thick  at  the   base,  crumpled,  yellow, 

tipped  with  black, 5 


14 

Articles.  Points. 

7.  Ears  small  and  thin,  and  of  a  deep  orange  color  within,  .  5 

8.  Eyes  fiill  and  lively, 4 

9.  Neck  arched,  powerful,  but  not  coarse  and  heavy,             .  5 

10.  Withers  fine,  shoulders  fiat  and  sloping,  chest  broad  and 

deep, 4 

11.  Barrel  hooped,  broad,  deep,  and  well  ribbed  up,       .        .  5 
12     Back  straight  from  the  withers  to  the  setting  on  of  the  tail,  5 

13.  Back  broad  across  the  loins, 3 

14.  Hips  wide  apart  and  fine  in  the  bone,         ....  3 

15.  Rump  long,  broad  and  level, 3 

16.  Tail  fine,  reaching  the  hocks,  and  hanging  at  right  angles 

with  the  back, 3 

17.  Hide  thin  and  mellow,  covered  with  fine,  soft  hair,   .        .  4 
18     Hide  of  a  yellow  color, 4 

19.  Legs  .short,  straight  and  fine,  with  small  hoofs,                  .  4 

20.  Arms  full  and  swelling  above  the  knees,    ....  3 

21.  Hind  quarters  from  the  hock  to  point  of  rump  long,  wide 

apart,  and  well  filled  up, 3 

22.  Hind  legs  squarely  placed  when  viewed  from  behind,  and 

not  to  cross  or  sweep  in  walking, 3 

23.  Nipples  to  be  squarely  placed  and  wide  apart, ...  5 

24.  Growth, 4 

25.  General  appearance, 5 

Perfection ,                 .  100 

No  prize  to  be  awarded  to  bulls  having  less  than  80  points.  Bulls 
having  obtained  75  points  shall  be  allowed  to  be  branded. 


Ratio  Scale  of  Points  for  Cows  and  Heifers. 

Articles.  I'oiiits. 

1.  Registered  pedigree, 5 

2.  Head  small,  fine  and  tapering, 3 

3.  Cheek  small,  throat  clean, 4 

4.  Muzzle  dark,  and  encircled  by  a  light  color,  with  nostrils 

high  and  open, 4 

5.  Horns  small,  not  thick  at  the  base,  crumpled,  yellow, 

tipped  with  black,    . 5 

6.  Ears  small  and  thin,  and  of  a  deep  orange  color  within,    .  6 

7.  Eye  full  and  placid, 3 

8.  Neck  straight,  fine,  and  lightly  placed  on  the  shoulders,  .  3 

9.  Withers  fine,  shoulders  flat  and  sloping,  chest  broad  and 

deep, 4 

10.  Barrel  hooped,  broad  and  deep,  being  well  ribbed  up,      .  5 

11.  Back  straight  from  the  withers  to  the  setting  on  of  the  tail.  5 

12.  Back  broad  across  the  loins, 3 

13.  Hips  wide  apart  and  fine  in  the  bone  ;  rump  long,  broad 

and  level, «        .  5 


15 

Articles.  Points. 

14.  Tail  fine,  reaching  the  hocks,  and  hanging  at  right  angles 

with  the  back, 3 

15.  Hide  thin  and  mellow,  covered  with  fine,  soft  hair,   .        .  4 

16.  Hide  of  a  yellow  color, 4 

17.  Legs  short,  straight  and  fine,  with  small  hools,  ...  3 

18.  Arms  full  and  swelling  above  the  knees,    ....  3 

19.  Hind  quarters  from  the  hock  to  point  of  rump  long,  wide 

apart  and  well  filled  up, 3 

20.  Hind  legs  squarely  placed  when  viewed  from  behind,  and 

not  to  cross  or  sweep  in  walking, 3 

21.  Udder  large,  not  fleshy,  running  well  forward,  in  line 

with  the  belly,  and  well  up  behind,        ....        5 

22.  Teats  moderately  large,  yellow,  of  equal  size,  wide  apart 

and  squarely  placed, 5 

23.  Milk  veins  about  the  udder  and  abdomen  prominent,        .  4 

24.  Growth, 4 

25.  General  appearance, 5 

Perfection, 100 

No  prize  shall  be  awarded  to  cows  having  less  than  80  points. 

No  prize  shall  be  awarded  to  heifers  having  less  than  70  points. 

Articles  21  and  23  shall  be  deducted  from  the  number  required  for 
perfection  in  heifers,  as  their  udder  and  milk  veins  cannot  be  fully 
developed. 


We  have  thus  far  dealt  only  with  open-air  cultivation, 
but  there  is  another  phase,  still  more  interesting,  in  which 
everything  is  grown  under  cover.  Until  the  glass-hou.ses  of 
Jersey  and  Guernsey  have  been  visited,  no  one  can  fairly 
appreciate  the  possibilities  of  intensive  gardening.  Origi- 
nally erected  for  the  purpose  of  growing  gra])es,  they  now 
conil)ine  that  with  the  raising  of  all  crops  grown  in  the  open 
air.  These  glass  shelters  are  of  the  simplest  construction, 
in  most  cases  mere  frames  of  glass  and  wood,  sometimes 
heated,  but  oftener  not.  But  they  yield  enormously,  croj) 
after  crop,  throughout  the  entire  season.  Hardly  is  one  out 
of  the  way  than  another  takes  its  place.  Before  the  potatoes 
are  out  of  the  gi'ound,  beet  or  broccoli  is  set  l)etween  the 
rows,  etc.  The  whole  island  of  Guernsey  is  dotted  with 
them ;  here  mere  lean-tos  against  the  sides  of  the  buildings, 
there  more  substantial  structures  in  the  fields,  or  again 
rising  tier  upon  tier  up  the  steep  hillsides.  The  grape  crop, 
of  which  the  annual  exportation  from  the  island  of  Guernsey 


16 

Ih  over  five  hundred  tons,  valued  at  some  two  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars,  and  on  which  the  inhabitants  chiefly  relied  for 
an  income,  has  now  become  a  side  issue,  and  is  entirely 
eclipsed  by  the  immense  (juantities  of  potatoes,  tomatoes, 
jjeas,  beans  and  carrots  raised  under  these  shelters.  It  was 
not  my  good  fortune  to  visit  these  glass-houses  in  the  early 
season;  but  in  November,  on  the  island  of  »lersey,  at  (loose 
Green,  in  a  house  some  nine  hundred  feet  long  by  forty-one  or 
two  broad,  I  saw  them  ploughing  down  the  centre  while  they 
gathered  tomatoes  from  the  vines  on  either  hand,  and  picked 
the  pendant  bunches  of  gra[)es  from  the  trellis  work  on  the 
sides.  No  more  interesting  descrij)tion  of  the  vegetable  houses 
has  been  written  than  that  by  Prince  Kroi)otkin,  and  you 
will,  I  am  sure,  bear  with  me  for  a  few  moments  if  I  (juote 
from  his  recent  article  on  the  '*  Possibilities  of  Agriculture." 
"I  saw  three-fourths  of  an  acre,  covered  with  glass  and 
heated  for  three  months  in  the  spring,  yielding  about  eight 
tons  of  tomatoes  and  al)Out  two  hundred  pounds  of  beans  as 
a  first  crop  in  April  and  May,  to  be  followed  by  two  crops 
more  during  the  sunmier  and  autumn.  Here  one  gardener 
was  employed,  with  two  assistants ;  a  small  amount  of  coke 
was  consumed ;  and  there  was  a  gas  engine  for  watering 
pur})oses,  consuming  one  dollar's  worth  of  gas  every  month. 
I  saw  again,  in  cool  greenhouses,  pea  plants  covering  the 
walls  for  the  length  of  a  (juarter  of  a  mile,  which  already 
had  yielded  by  the  end  of  A})ril  thirty-two  hundred  pounds 
of  ex(|uisite  peas,  and  were  yet  as  full  of  i)ods  as  if  not  one 
had  been  taken  away.  I  saw  potatoes  dug  from  the  soil  in 
A])ril  to  the  amount  of  five  bushels  to  the  twenty-one  feet 
square,  and  so  on.  And  yet,  all  that  is  eclipsed  l)y  the 
immense  vineries  of  Mr.  Bashford  in  Jersey.  They  cover 
thirteen  aci-es,  and  from  the  outside  these  huge  glass-houses 
and  chimneys  look  like  a  tactory.  But  when  you  enter  one 
of  the  houses,  nine  hundred  feet  long  and  forty-six  feet  wide, 
and  your  eye  scans  that  world  of  green  embellished  by  the 
reddening  grai)es  or  tomatoes,  you  forget  the  ugliness  of  the 
outside  view.  As  to  the  results,  I  cannot  better  characterize 
them  than  by  <]uoting  what  Mr.  W.  Bear,  the  well-known 
writer  upon  English  agriculture,  wrote  after  a  visit  to  the 
same  establishment ;  namely,  that  the  money  returns  from 


17 

these  thirteen  acres  '  greatly  exceed  those  of  an  ordinary 
English  farm  of  thirteen  hundred  acres.'  The  last  year's 
crops  were  twenty-five  tons  of  grapes  (which  are  cut  from 
May  till  October,  ranging  in  price  at  wholesale  from  one 
dollar  a  pound  to  eighteen  cents),  eighty  tons  of  tomatoes, 
thirty  tons  of  potatoes,  six  tons  of  peas,  and  two  tons  of 
beans,  to  say  nothing  of  other  subsidiary  crops.  On  seeing 
such  results  one  might  imagine  that  all  this  must  cost  a 
formidable  amount  of  money  ;  but  not  so.  The  cost  of  Mr. 
Bashford's  houses,  most  excellently  well  built,  is  only  $2.34 
per  square  yard  (heating  pipes  not  taken  into  account)  ;  and 
all  the  Avork  is  done  by  thirty-six  men  only ;  three  men  to 
each  acre  of  greenhouses  seems  to  be  a  Guernsey  average. 
As  for  fuel,  the  consum})tion  amounts  to  no  more  than  one 
thousand  cart  loads  of  coke  and  coal.  Besides,  one  can  see 
in  the  Channel  Isles  all  possible  gradations,  from  the  well- 
constructed  greenhouses  just  mentioned,  to  the  simple  shel- 
ters made  out  of  thin  planks  and  glass,  without  artificial 
heat,  which  cost  only  ten  cents  per  square  foot,  and  never- 
theless allow  of  having  the  most  surprising  crops  quite  ready 
for  sale  by  the  end  of  April.  Altogether,  the  glass-house  is 
no  more  a  luxury.  It  becomes  the  kitchen  garden  of  the 
market  gardener." 

One  of  the  most  noticeable  features  of  these  islands  is  the 
appearance  of  thrift  everywhere  discernible.  Everything 
speaks  of  ease  and  prosperity  ;  paupers  there  are  none.  The 
poor  are  rarely  seen.  Roadside,  garden  and  house  alike 
betoken  c(mifort  and  sufficiency.  Not  only  are  the  outskirts 
of  the  town  filled  with  substantial  buildings,  but  the  homes 
of  the  farmers  are  solid  granite  structures,  it  may  be  with 
cement  floors  instead  of  boards,  the  roofs  thatched  or  tiled, 
showing  red  against  the  dark,  rich  background  of  foliage, 
but  all  comfortably,  neatly  furnished,  the  windows  curtained 
with  cambric  or  lace,  while  outside  they  are  bowered  in 
roses,  jasmines  or  myrtles.  There  is  a  feeling  of  home,  of 
ownership,  of  pride  in  possession  that  strikes  one  at  once ; 
and  who  that  has  once  enjoyed  the  simple,  hearty  hospitality 
of  those  kindly  people  will  ever  forget  it?  The  loaf  of  cake 
proffered  by  the  good  housewife  with  a  half  apology  perhaps 
for  it  not  being  as  light  as  it  ought   to  be,  the    "Jersey 


18 

wonder"  (a  species  of  doughnut)  melting  away  in  the 
mouth  before  one  fairly  knows  it  is  there,  the  pitcher  of 
elder  or  bottle  of  wine, — everything  is  freely  oftered,  and 
the  guest  made  welcome  to  the  best.  The  exquisite  neatness 
which  characterizes  the  house  is  just  as  plainly  visible  in  its 
out-door  surroundings.  The  well-kept  walks,  the  neat, 
orderly  barns  and  sheds,  the  gardens  with  their  Howers  and 
fruit,  and,  above  all,  the  trim,  cleanly  roads,  all  bespeak  the 
same  care  and  thrift,  p]  very  thing  is  turned  to  account ;  the 
droppings  of  the  horses  and  cattle  along  the  roads  are  care- 
fully swept  up  and  placed  on  the  manure  heap,  the  twigs 
broken  by  the  gales  are  picked  up  and  put  away  for  fuel, 
and  the  leaves  falling  from  the  trees  are  gathered  together 
and  carried  away  to  enrich  the  land.  Nothing  is  lost,  and 
the  waste,  except  in  questions  of  labor,  is  reduced  to  a 
minimum.  But  the  tools  are  heavy  and  clumsy,  and  to 
this  day  most  of  the  farmers  work  their  ground  with  a 
l)lough  that  has  a  wooden  mold-board  with  an  iron  point, 
the  horses  being  hitched  tandem. 

The  roads  and  lanes  deserve  special  mention.  The  former 
are  well  built,  and  as  a  general  thing  follow  the  windings  of 
the  valleys,  while  branching  from  them  in  every  direction 
are  an  infinity  of  lanes,  so  narrow  that  at  intervals  bays  are 
constructed  to  allow  teams  to  pass  each  other.  No  weeds 
along  the  margins  are  to  be  seen,  for  both  road  and  lane  are 
macadamized  and  bordered,  sometimes  by  stone  walls  or 
well-trimmed  hedges,  but  oftener  by  earth  banks,  upon  or 
1)eside  which  are  rows  of  trees.  These  high,  earthen  banks, 
taking  the  place  of  fences,  with  trees  growing  on  top  and 
covered  all  over  with  the  greenest  and  most  luxuriant  of 
ivies,  give  to  the  lanes  the  appearance  of  trenches  cut  in  the 
soil,  and  this  eftect  is  heightened  by  the  arching  of  the  trees 
overhead  and  the  interlacing  of  their  branches,  which  even 
in  midday  ca^t  a  shade  that  is  almost  twilight ;  and  for  miles 
you  ride  along  through  these  leafy  bowers,  sheltered  from 
the  sun,  protected  from  the  wind,  listening  to  the  song  of 
birds,  till  at  last  the  vista  opens,  and  suddenly  you  see  the 
waves  rolling  madly  in,  and  catch  the  thunders  of  the  surf 
upon  the  granite  cliffs. 

The   question  is  often  asked,    To   what  do  the  Channel 


19 

Islands  owe  their  prosperity?     Given  an  equable  climate,  a 
fertile  but  not  rich  soil,  and  a  skilful  husbandry,  and  you 
have  the  three  prime  requisites  of  success.     That  is  true  as 
far  as  it  goes,  but  there  is  still  a  factor  wanting  to  make  the 
explanation  complete.     Other  writers  have  placed  it  in  the 
[)OSsession  of  a  race  of  cattle  popular  throughout  the  world, 
a  climate  which  is  perfection,  and  a  ready  market  almost  at 
their   very   door.     To  these  combined,   I  would  add,  "  A 
dijffiised  property,  a  diffused  capital  and  a  diffused  intelli- 
gence."     The    19,000  acres  of  arable    land    of  Jersey   are 
divided  among  2,600  farmers ;  only  six  have  farms  of  one 
hundred  acres ;  some  fifty  or  more  own  twenty  acres,  but 
the  great  majority  have  small  holdings  from  one-half  acre  to 
five  or  six.     Land  does  not  often  change  hands.     If  inher- 
ited, it  cannot  be  devised  by  will,  but  must  follow  the  line 
of  succession,  the  law  requiring  that  at  death   every  child 
shall  receive  a  part,  the  oldest  son  having  the  house  in  addi- 
tion.    The  land  laws  thus  discourage  aggregation  of  prop- 
erty, and  favor  its  distribution  among  the  members  of  the 
family.     Eve^y  man  is  at  the  same  time  a  land  owner,  a  cap- 
italist and  a  laborer.     To  this  "  diffusion  of  property,"  and 
to  the  universal  thrift  and  industry  naturally  following  such 
diffusion,  I  attribute  the  general  prosperity  of  the  people. 
It  is  natural  that  a  man  owning  his  little  piece  of  land  will 
improve  it  to  the  utmost,  and  make  it  yield  the  largest  income 
possible.     The  man  occupying  temporarily  another's   land 
will  not  lay  out  upon  it  any  more  than  he  can  possibly  help. 
There  results,  then,  from  these  small  holdings,  an  intense 
cultivation  not  possible  on  large  estates. 

How  difi'erent  the  case  in  England  may  be  seen  from  the 
following  figures  :  of  the  36,000,000  acres  comprising  Eng- 
land and  Wales,  4,500  persons  own  20,000,000 ;  2S8  hold 
over  5,000,000;  52  hold  over  9,000  acres  apiece;  204  hold 
over  5,000  and  2,432  hold  over  1,000.  More  than  one-half 
is  owned  by  private  individuals,  holding  1,000  acres  and 
upward.  In  Scotland  this  aggregation  of  land  by  the  few  is 
still  more  striking.  Of  its  19,000,000  acres,  nine-tenths  are- 
held  by  less  than  1,700  persons,  and  one-half  of  the  whole 
of  its  area  is  held  by  70  persons.  The  whole  number  of 
land  owners  is  131,530,  but  of  these  111,658  own  less  than 


20 

an  acre  apiece.  The  largest  estate  is  held  by  the  Duke  and 
Duchess  of  Sutherland,  and  amounts  to  1,326,000  acres. 
With  such  a  distribution  of  property,  and  with  a  poor  law 
costing;  thirty-Hve  million  dollars  annually,  what  outlook  is 
there  for  the  Enjjlish  farmer?  What  hope  of  ever  acquiring 
l)ossession  of  the  little  plot  of  land  on  which  he  works  and 
spends  his  days,  or  what  motive  to  induce  him  to  improve 
pro})erty  he  cannot  leave  to  his  children?  A  recent  writer 
])uts  it  in  a  nutshell  when  he  says:  "  In  England  the  agri- 
cultural laborers,  with  the  lands  about  them  all  taken  up  and 
so  unsaleable,  and  with  a  poor  law  to  provide  for  them  under 
all  the  calamities  of  life,  whether  l)rought  about  by  mishap 
or  by  their  own  wilful  vice,  have  but  little  motive,  even  if 
they  had  the  opportunity,  for  saving." 


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